What the $100 Cross-State Ride Entry Covers
A $100 entry can sound straightforward until you start asking what happens over four days on Wyoming routes: Is fuel included? What about camping, meals, support, or getting your truck back to the start? This guide separates the likely event-entry costs from expenses to confirm, so you can budget realistically before committing to the ride.
What the Cross-State Ride Entry Fee May Cover
The ride is described as a four-day trip from Evanston to Cheyenne, covering roughly 350 miles and limiting participation to a small group of machines. The $100 figure is the entry fee, but the amount alone does not tell you exactly what participants receive. Before registering, look for a written list of inclusions from the ride organizer.
The entry is for participation, not an all-inclusive vacation
A ride entry fee commonly covers the right to participate in the organized event. Depending on the organizer’s terms, that can include registration, a place in the riding group, event communications, and access to the planned route or schedule. Those are reasonable items to ask about, not automatic guarantees.
For example, imagine you have signed up and arrive in Evanston with your machine, trailer, and camping gear. You should know before leaving home whether your entry includes only your spot in the group or also services such as organized check-ins, route guidance, or help if a participant has a mechanical problem. Those details can change the real value of the entry fee.
The safest approach is to treat the $100 as the price of entry unless the organizer’s registration page or written confirmation explicitly promises something else. A route file, a meal, a support vehicle, and overnight lodging are separate benefits. Don’t assume they’re included just because the event is organized.
Ask for an itemized list before paying
A short message to the organizer can prevent awkward surprises. Ask what the entry fee includes, what participants must arrange themselves, and whether any optional costs may come up during the ride. If the answer is broad—“support is provided,” for example—ask what that means in practice.
| Cost or service | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Registration | Does the fee reserve one rider’s place, one machine’s place, or both? |
| Route information | Are riders given a route file, paper map, or guided directions? |
| Meals and water | Are any meals, snacks, or water stops included? |
| Overnight stays | Are campsites or lodging arranged, or do riders book their own? |
| Mechanical help | Is assistance available, and what costs remain the rider’s responsibility? |
| Vehicle recovery | Is there a recovery plan, or must riders arrange and pay for recovery? |
| Start and finish logistics | Is transportation between Cheyenne and Evanston included? |
| Changes or cancellation | What happens if weather, closures, or a participant’s plans disrupt the ride? |
Keep the organizer’s response with your registration confirmation. It gives you something specific to refer to when planning and helps distinguish an included service from a favor, a suggestion, or an expense you’ll need to cover yourself.
Expenses to Budget for Beyond the Entry
A multi-day ride involves more than the moment you register. Even when the route and group are organized, riders usually have personal costs tied to getting themselves and their machines to the start, staying overnight, eating, fueling, and handling wear or unexpected trouble. Build those into your budget rather than treating the entry fee as the full trip cost.
Fuel, meals, and overnight plans
Fuel is one of the most important costs to plan around on a long Wyoming ride. Distances between services can be substantial, and fuel availability along a planned route may not match what you’re used to near home. Ask how fuel stops are scheduled and whether riders are expected to arrive with a particular range or carry extra fuel. For broader planning, see Fuel Range Between Wyoming Towns.
Meals and overnight stays also need clear answers. A route that takes riders through towns such as Saratoga may offer opportunities to stop for supplies, but that doesn’t mean a meal or a room is part of the entry. Confirm where the group expects to stop, whether overnight arrangements are coordinated, and whether you need to reserve a campsite or lodging yourself. The route overview Riding Through Saratoga on the Route can help you think through the places involved, but it shouldn’t replace the organizer’s itinerary.
If you plan to camp, account for the gear you’ll need and how it will travel with you. A tent, sleeping bag, food, and extra clothing can be awkward to carry on an ATV or UTV unless the route and support plan are designed around them. Ask whether luggage is transported separately or whether each rider must carry everything on their machine.
Travel to the start and from the finish
A point-to-point ride creates a practical question that riders sometimes overlook: how do you get back to the vehicle or trailer you left at the other end? If the event starts in Evanston and finishes in Cheyenne, you’ll need to know whether the organizer has arranged a shuttle or other transportation—or whether you need to coordinate your own.
That can affect the whole trip budget. A friend may be able to move a truck and trailer to the finish, but that involves another driver, their schedule, fuel, and possibly an overnight stay. If you’re traveling alone, ask the organizer early whether participants commonly share transportation or arrange a vehicle shuttle.
Also account for getting to the start town in the first place. Trailer parking, overnight parking, and the security of your machine are separate concerns. Before choosing where to leave your rig, review Parking a Rig at a Wyoming Trailhead and confirm directly with the location or event organizer that the parking plan works for your dates.
Route Information, Navigation, and Group Support
A route across Wyoming is not just a line on a map. Public-land access, designated routes, seasonal restrictions, and local conditions can affect where a group can legally ride. The event organizer’s route guidance is important, but riders should understand what kind of navigation material they’ll receive and what responsibility remains theirs.
Ask what navigation is provided
Confirm whether you’ll receive turn-by-turn instructions, a downloadable route file, printed directions, or guidance from a leader. If the ride uses a digital route, ask which devices or apps are supported and whether the route can be downloaded before departure. Cellular service can be unreliable in remote areas, so make sure you can access the information offline.
onX Offroad can be useful for preparing to read routes and terrain on a phone, especially if you download maps before leaving service. It can help you orient yourself and compare your position with mapped roads or trails. Still, an app should be a backup and planning aid—not a substitute for the organizer’s directions, official land-management information, or signs and closures on the ground.
Bring a charged phone, a reliable power source, and a backup navigation option that suits your experience. If the group provides a route file, test it before the ride rather than discovering at the first junction that it won’t open on your device. For context on official route information, review Wyoming Trail Maps and MVUMs and Wyoming’s Enrolled Roads and Trails.
Clarify what “support” means
Support can mean many different things. It might refer to a ride leader, scheduled regrouping, emergency communications, mechanical assistance, or a vehicle following the group. These are not interchangeable. Ask what support is actually provided, when it is available, and what happens if your machine breaks down away from a town.
A ride leader may keep the group together without being a mechanic. A support vehicle may carry tools but not be able to tow every kind of machine. And even when help is available, you may still be responsible for parts, repairs, transportation, or lodging after a breakdown. It’s better to understand those boundaries before you are stopped on a remote stretch of road.
onX Offroad may help you prepare by saving map information and marking important locations, but don’t rely on a phone app as an emergency communication device. Ask the organizer what communications plan is in place, then decide whether you need your own emergency equipment. Carry essential tools and basic repair supplies appropriate to your machine and the route.
How to Decide Whether the Entry Is Worth It
The fee is only one part of the decision. A small-group, multi-day ride may appeal because it offers a planned route and the company of other riders, but the value depends on what you want from the experience and how much independent planning you’re comfortable doing.
Compare the event with a self-planned trip
A self-planned ride gives you flexibility over pace, lodging, meals, and route choices, but you take on the work of checking access, arranging transport, and coordinating the details. An organized event may reduce some of that burden, especially if it provides a clear itinerary and navigation plan. Whether that convenience justifies the fee depends on what the organizer actually provides.
Use the comparison below as a planning aid, not as a promise about this particular event:
| Planning question | Organized ride | Self-planned ride |
|---|---|---|
| Route preparation | Ask whether the organizer supplies a route and updates | You research and verify routes yourself |
| Group coordination | A shared schedule may simplify meetups | You coordinate with your own group |
| Lodging and meals | Confirm whether they are arranged or included | You make all reservations and plans |
| Transportation between endpoints | Ask whether a shuttle or vehicle plan is included | You arrange your own shuttle or driver |
| Help with problems | Confirm the scope and limits of event support | You plan your own repair and recovery options |
| Flexibility | The group schedule may set the pace | You can adjust the itinerary as you go |
If the event fee covers only registration and participation, that doesn’t automatically make it poor value. It simply means you should judge it on the route, organization, group experience, and services that are actually promised—not on benefits you hoped were bundled in.
Use a pre-registration checklist
Before paying, get clear answers to these questions:
- What exactly does the entry fee include?
- Is the fee per rider, per machine, or per registration?
- What is the event’s refund or transfer policy?
- What route and navigation materials will participants receive?
- Are meals, lodging, camping, fuel, or shuttles included?
- What mechanical or emergency support is available?
- What equipment, machine range, or rider experience is expected?
- How will route changes or closures be communicated?
- Where do riders meet in Evanston, and where do they finish in Cheyenne?
- What is the registration deadline and participant limit?
Because the event is described as limited to a small number of machines, don’t wait until the last minute to ask about registration details. The linked guide Why the Cross-State Ride Takes Only 50 Machines offers context on the group limit, while Registering for the Ride by March addresses the registration timing mentioned for the event. Confirm the actual deadline and availability with the organizer before making travel plans.
Finally, check that your machine and documents are ready for the kind of routes on the itinerary. A permit, appropriate equipment, and compliance with route restrictions are separate from an event entry. If you’re uncertain about the permit requirement for riding public land, start with [Wyoming ORV Permits Explained]. A registration confirmation does not by itself authorize riding on a closed or undesignated route.
What to Do Before You Head to Evanston
Once you know what the fee covers, work backward from the start date. Set aside money for the items that are not included, plan how your machine will get to the start and return from the finish, and test your navigation and communication setup. A few practical checks at home are easier than trying to solve them beside a trail.
Make a written budget with separate lines for the entry, fuel, meals, overnight stays, transportation, machine preparation, and an emergency cushion. Keep the organizer’s answers alongside your itinerary. If you’re sharing a truck shuttle or camping arrangements with other riders, agree on the plan in advance rather than assuming everyone has the same understanding.
Then prepare for the route itself. Check your machine, carry the tools and supplies you know how to use, and review current route information close to departure. Save maps offline; onX Offroad can be part of that preparation, but follow official notices, organizer instructions, and posted restrictions. Wyoming conditions can shift between towns and elevations, so leave room in your schedule for weather, road conditions, and a slower-than-expected day.
The most important takeaway is simple: treat the $100 as the entry amount, not proof that every trip expense is covered. Get the inclusions in writing, plan for the costs that remain yours, and decide whether the event’s actual organization and route experience fit your needs. That clarity makes it much easier to enjoy the ride without worrying that an overlooked shuttle, meal, or overnight bill will derail the plan.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.
